Numerous decorative articles of display are known. Devices and methods for displaying one or more letters of the alphabet, initials, words, combinations of word and symbols, symbols, logos, crests and a variety of insignia, decorations and appliques, and a variety of other shapes and configurations (collectively, "articles of display") are well known by persons skilled in the art. However, many apparatus and methods currently available as articles of display must be permanently installed on the object to which the articles of display are attached, or on which the articles of display are mounted. Further, many articles of display and display devices currently available require the user of the article of display, as a predicate to enabling attachment, to deform, alter, or modify the object on which the article of display is to be attached. The concomitant is equally true: many articles of display presently available require the user of the article of display to deform, alter, or modify the article of display itself as a predicate to attaching or mounting the article of display on an object. Because either the article of display, or the object on which the article of display is to be attached, must be deformed or modified to enable the attachment, the currently available articles of display often cannot be detached and reused, or require repair of the object on which the article of display has been attached.
In addition, many existing articles of displays are comprised of a multiplicity of interactive and inter-cooperating elements and mechanisms requiring the user to manipulate those elements and mechanisms if the user wants to create a new or modified article of display for installation on an object. Further, serious limiting factors for use of existing articles of display include the high costs and expenses associated with manufacturing decorative articles of displays. The costs often result from a multiplicity of interlocking and associated mechanical elements required to modify or change the appearance of the article of display, or in providing one or more backings, laminations, and hand crafted components for the article of display which are difficult to manipulate, implement, are time-consuming, and are permanent or semi-permanent in nature.
Further, many current articles of display, when mounted on an object, are not securely attached to the object. Conventional articles of display may rotate, sag, loosen themselves from the object, or disengage from the object due to compressive forces, inadvertent contact by the user, and similar forces.
What is needed, therefore, is an article of display which is securely but removably attachable to an object on which the article of display will appear, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, does not deform the object on which the article of display will be mounted, does not require deformation of the article of display to enable attachment of the article of display to the object on which the article of display is to be mounted or attached, and may be readily and easily removed from the object if the article of display no longer is desired, for repair of the article of display, for substitution of a different article of display, or for any other reason.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article of display which is removably attachable to an object on which the article of display is mounted.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a removably attachable article of display which does not, on being attached to an object, deform, alter, or modify the object on which the article of display is attached.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a removably attachable article of display which does not, to enable attachment to an object, require that the article of display be deformed, altered, or modified.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a removably attachable article of display which does not require a planar surface on the object to which the article of display is to be attached, but may be attached to a nonplanar surface as well as a planar surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a removably attachable article of display which, because neither the article of display, nor the object on which the article of display is mounted, must be deformed, altered or modified, with the result that the article of display is reusable.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a removably attachable article of display which requires no lamination process or applique process to create the article of display, and requires no adhesives to create.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a removably attachable article of display which may be manufactured not only of metal, but also of plastics, resins, nylons and any other synthetic materials, and whose construction may be either rigid, ductile, malleable, or flexible. The article of display, therefore, may be made of zinc which may also be coated with gold.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an article of display which is removably attachable to an object, and a method for manufacturing such an article of display which is removably attachable to an object, which is easy to use and to practice, is readily and easily installed by the user at the point of sale or elsewhere, and which is cost effective for the intended purposes.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of an article of display which is removably attachable to an object, will become apparent to those skilled in the art when read in (conjunction with the accompanying following detailed description, drawing figures and appended claims.